| Show A grann GRAND JURY REPORT EXCUSING THE WEAK AND VICIOUS 9 OFFICERS OF THE COURT AND condemning PEACE OFFICERS FOR ARRESTING CRIMINALS yesterday afternoon the grand jury of the third district came into court and presented six indictments under territorial laws the following report was also submitted it plainly shows the ear marks of its infamous author mon hon 0 A zane third district court your grand jury herewith returns two indictments for conspiracy four indictments for keeping houses of ill fame under the territorial laws and one indictment for carrying on kusi busi business as a retail liquor dealer without payment special tax under the law of congress in connection therewith we deem it our duty to specially report as follows since the year AD 1876 there has been a statute of the territory prohibiting lii hi the keeping of residing iu in or resorting to houses of ill fame for the purposes of prostitution or lew lewdness see com corn laws p 60 during a great part if not all of the period ordinances din ances of the municipality of salt lake city upon the same subject have been in existence exis rence under these ordinances a few weeks agaj a number of prosecutions were instituted under circumstances which very generally attracted public attention these pro proceedings ce ed I 1 if S we were r e summarily brought to an end because bebau se of the ruling of this court determining the question of law immediately involved adversely to the city the attention of the gr gnand grand and jury as well as the public was however directed to certain matters connected with these prosecutions and in the dic discharge barwe barge of our duty as understood by us we have invests investigated the same as thoroughly as the means at our command would permit Off meers officers of the county and city governments together with private citizens have appeared before us aud and been sworn and examined and the present result of our inquiry Is emb amb embodied led in indictments herewith returned we are not content however to pass the matter over without further and emphatic expression condemnatory of the methods and practices hereinafter mentioned some time in april or may last an officer of the city government not connected with the police with others un known at present to the grand jury entered into a conspiracy to open houses of assignation and ill ili iame lame within the city limits for the avowed purpose of en trapping weak and vicious us persons into the commission of aff offenses anses against chastity and jud morality in order that all such might be exposed and punished in the courts this scheme involved the renting and fittin fitting u up of houses for the purpose the em of public and private pr prostitutes osti the conversion of the police bureau into a nest most of spotters and spies and the expenditure of a large I 1 sum of money for years thero there have been well weil k known mown houses of prostitution in salt lake which have been under police surveillance and at stated periods have contributed materially to tb the revenues of the municipality several of these houses are situated on the main and prominent streets of the city and with their keepers and proprietors have been and are by reputation generally known in the community we do not understand that the scheme above mentioned contemplated the investigation vesti gation of tt these tuese ese places nor the enforcement of the law against those who reside therein or resort thereto for tor purposes of prostitution or lewdness on un the contrary as appears by the evidence before us the plan was conceived and carried into effect without reference to the suppression of existing nuisances but with the design of using the criminal law as a snare snare for the weak and immoral and with the object in part at least of creating a great public scandal in pursuance of this scheme houses were rented and f furnished urnis hed on west temple street and women placed in possession thereof these houses were so altered and arranged in their interior that persons could be placed 1 ac ed to observe all that transpire transpired within 1 thin and every member of the police force of salt lake take city with two honorable exceptions john Y smith and win wm calder volunteered his services as a spy and informer in aid of the conspiracy the women I 1 were hired to perform their parts and their exertions stimulated i by the promise of exorbitant sums for their success in en trapping high officials one of these creatures was promised fin the event of her being able to draw the governor of the territory into her toils tolls in the course of their operations these women conveyed notes of invitation to many prominent officials and citizens requesting interviews on business at the places designated the f following loWing ol leaving the names blank is a sample of these notes delivered by messenger a boy boys s SALT LAKE CITY july 25 aw dear sir it if convenient I 1 would be pleased to have you call and see me this afternoon or about dusk this evenin evening I 1 want to senyou see you on particular business business please send answer by messenger boy when you will call respectfully we are informed by persons engaged in this infamous plot that from the their ir secret posts of observation they from time to time personally witnessed all that teok place in apartments in these houses visited by men and women w ho were weak and depraved enough to respond to the opportunities presented to them Their iames lames were taken and the evidence rioted for future reference and use when the exposure of this conspiracy was at hand the houses were closed one woman was sent to california upon a ticket furnished her another was driven to francklyn by a police officer who had previously purchased her a ticket and then took the train for denver under an assumed name one of these women wag paid by the city off omm leiai official above referred to W or 40 and the other for her services when the women were safe out of the territory complaints were filed warrants issued and arrests made and the community thrown into a state of excitement cit ement and alarm the money employed in this scheme wo we are told by its prime mover moser was paid by one of the hl nih nigh high h officials of salt lake county it is claimed that the money was raised by private subscription we have been unable uriab e to ascertain that any part of it came from the public bublic treasury neither the mayor chief of police nor other othel city off official lelal except as herein stated so far as we can learn were advised of the proceeding until the plot was ripe all of the police pole olti officers cers enraged engaged in it it is claimed performed t the e services required when off duty one of them states that his hia services were rendered fon for the good of the cause we have promptly indicted all persons connected with this unlawful and criminal undertaking against whom we could procure evidence but we are not satia sattA satisfied fled fied to rest liere here without publicly directing the attention iou ioa of the municipal and county officers to the fact that a great crime has been perpetrated we do not understand that the criminal law davv of the territory was designed to aid spies sneaks and informers in enticing and encouraging well disposed persons to commit crime nor to tempt weak and wicked persons to disobey the laws the law is humane and considerate and has for its object the prevention of crime and the reformation as well as the punishment of offenders it does not we think contemplate the commission of crimes in order that additional crimes may be committed and the last offenders exposed and punished u dished it cannot b be in supposed that the law of any civilized state will permit an association of persons ofa off leers officers or private c eizens to employ tho he meang eang herein stated to induce people to do wrongly wron wrong gln gin in order that they may be punished no cause however good good can j justify the use of such meang neang means weans we think the public good and the peace of the community demand a rigid and satisfactory investigation by the municipal and county authorities whose officers have violated the law in this matter we are not certain but that every person engaged in the attempt to induce another to violate the criminal law under the statutes is equally guilty of the crime so induced As the life of our body is drawing to an end we ve have not deemed it advisable ind b to pursue this inquiry but we respectfully fully request that your honor submit the matter now considered to the next grand jury of this district with such instructions as the law may vV warrant arrant MORRIS E R EVANS foreman of the grand jury |
